Despite being in the middle of a pandemic, members of the Construction Club collected enough items to fill 187 boxes for Operation Christmas Child, a nonprofit that delivers shoeboxes to children in need around the world.

The club has partnered with First Baptist Church on this project for at least six years. The church provides the boxes. Graham Sudduth, the club’s vice president of philanthropy, said students used their own money to fill the boxes with everything from shoes, hats, hygiene products, toys, pencils and more.  The club pays to ship the items around the world.

“It was good to be able to do this because this is what we do every year and we all enjoy doing it.,” he said.

The Construction Club has led a variety of community service projects over the years helping Habitat for Humanity, assisting in a food pantry build for Harmony House, and an exit stair reconstruction for Lost and Found.

They participate in and volunteer at Holland Elementary during building and engineering night. Philanthropy is an important aspect to club members and to Sudduth, a junior from O’Fallon, Illinois.

“I was very lucky growing up,” Sudduth said. “I always got everything I needed. It’s nice to be able to give back to something that’s bigger than myself. And it is fun.”